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Friday, August 31, 2012

Morning folks...it's been a bit lonely in the cubbyhole lately BUT I'm delighted to tell you that my gorgeous bundle of golden deliciousness has made a full recovery from that nasty tummy bug...the cubbyhole's adorable hooligan is definitely back to his usual bright eyed and bushy tailed self and has claimed his favourite spot again...

And I know that things are definitely back to normal when I'm back to sharing my breakfast toast...have to watch my back in case I trip over his great furry lump of a body or even worse tread on his tail and it's music to my ears to be serenaded with dreamyland "chasing rabbit" woofs and his decibel busting snores...

It's great to have my crafty partner back at work...not that he contributes much in the way of making cards but he's great company...doesn't bend my ears with constant chat...is always happy to listen...puts up with my moaning minnie moments and all he asks in return is lots of hugs and snuggles...food on a regular basis and his daily strolls...all in all every employer's dream. So while he does what he does best...snoozes the day away I've been trying to make inroads in the pile of crafty stuff that seems to have been breeding on my workdesk....a little sneaky peek of the projects I've been working on for The Papeterie Craft Retreat Weekend in September.

Woohoo I'm excited for tomorrow...I'll be posting my Guest Design Spot Card...you'll have to pop over at 7.00am to find out whose gorgeous stamps I've been playing with and being the first Saturday of the month...I'll see you all at 8.00am over at Penny Black Saturday for a brand new monthly challenge.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Morning folks...looks like the cubbyhole crew are back on track after a couple of days in the crafty wilderness...I had a sneaky feeling the minute I saw the gorgeous Elegant Flowers & Papers Pad from Craftwork Cards it would kick start our enthusiasm again...no long winded post from me today...I'm on a crafty roll...with lots of stuff to catch up on...I'm striking while the iron is hot so I'll leave you with a fest of photos...they do say a picture is worth a thousand words...

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Morning folks...the middle of another week already...it's hard to believe in just a few days time it'll be September and we're still waiting for Summer to begin. Don't worry I'm not going to subject you to another long winded saga on the weather because it's Wednesday and I'm heading over to Julia's place to meet up with lots of lovely crafty folks at WOYWW.
Keeping it short today because there hasn't been much crafting going on...the good ship Cubbyhole had ran aground...Mr Mojo had jumped ship and sailed off into the sunset and I was tempted to join him...The Furry Boy was still on sick note leave and this old bod was struggling to recover from that fun day at the car boot...

but it seems it was a temporary hiccup...Mr Mojo's decided that the grass is definitely greener on this side of the fence...The Furry Boy is back to his usual hooligan "getting up to lots of mischief" self and the old bod's been having a little play...just goes to show you can't keep a good team down for long...

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Morning folks...time to pop the kettle on...make yourselves comfy because this is one long winded saga...if you're a regular visitor here you'll know that I spent Sunday morning at my local car boot...not that I wanted too but I've been threatened with eviction if I don't make an effort to de-clutter the clutter which has taken root in the garage over the years. But any outdoor activity in this country is weather dependent...it's impossible to plan ahead...there may be 52 Sundays in a year but when I'm free it's been persisting with rain and when it's not I'm doing something else. The weather forecast for Sunday was looking good so I bit the bullet and loaded up the car on Saturday night and that's a nightmare in itself...making sure that everything is tightly packed...you definitely don't want anything shooting forward and breaking your neck before you get there. I wasn't very happy when silly o'clock arrived and I had to drag myself out of my cosy slumbers and even more grumpy by the time I'd unloaded the car at the other end...battled with the table which has a mind of it's own and set out my wares for sale and little did I know there was a carrier bag saga about to unfold.
The first customer of the day bought 2 paperbacks for 60p and asked if he could have a bag....poor man looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights when I barked "why can't you bring your own bag"...."surely if you're coming to the car boot you make sure you bring a bag from home" but once the words were out of my mouth there was no taking them back...he rushed off clutching his books like a scolded puppy...leaving me feeling thoroughly ashamed of myself for being so rude and making such a fuss over a plastic carrier...perhaps I should be practising what I preach.
Remember back when our Government were making lots of noise about stopping us mere mortals from contaminating the planet with our excessive use of plastic carriers by bringing in a charge of 5p...£5 a pop might have made us all sit up and take notice about being so wasteful forcing us to re-use last week's shopping carriers but the suggested paltry sum is hardly likely to have the desired effect is it. I buy into the principle of it all but with a memory like mind...putting it into practice is a different story...hence the hundreds of the plastic blighters stockpiled in the car...mind you they might come in handy as back up airbags should the need arise...along with the supermarket hessian ones...the calico jobbies and even the fold up into nothing variety hidden in the depths of my handbag so why do I find myself caught short at the checkout replying "Yes Please" when asked if I need a bag and yet another joins the throng. The moral of the story is "folks who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" and I need to engage my brain before I open my mouth.
But it didn't end there...my suitably chastened...lesson learned...happy customer face was seriously tested when a certain very well-dressed but decidedly "nose in the air" snooty "fur coat and nae drawers" woman had me drawing on every last ounce of patience and customer service niceness when she bought 2 M&S sweaters and gave me the mother of all "look down her nose" looks when I went to put them in a Tesco carrier. "I don't want that bag...don't you have a nicer one"...steam began to billow from my ears...oh boy was I tempted to round on her and point out that if you want stuff in a designer bag...why are you buying clothes from a car boot but she needed no help from me to look petty and small so I found one from M&S in the bag mountain...smiled sweetly and said "no problem at all...you enjoy the rest of your day". Such a shame that Mrs Uppity hadn't been the first customer of the day instead of that poor man who bore the brunt of my silly "feeling sorry for myself" tantrum.
But the problem of keeping the grumpy part of "grumpy old woman" in check was the least of my worries when I hopped out of bed yesterday morning...the old woman part was having a major protest...achey back and legs that frankly were struggling to pass each other and the brain wasn't playing ball either when I discovered that the washing machine was swishing away empty and the dirty laundry was whirring around in the tumble dryer...definitely not a day to attempt any crafty stuff...much safer to be sitting on the sofa with coffee and cake and lots of oohing and aahing at the gorgeous goodies that arrived on Saturday from Craftwork Cards...

Monday, August 27, 2012

Morning folks...are you wondering what on earth I'm on about...let me share the cards we made at my Christmas Card Class at The Papeterie on Saturday and I'll explain. I get lots of feedback from crafters that they buy sets of stamps and haven't a clue what to do with them when they get them home...we've all been there and we all know that this crafty hobby can make serious dents in your budget. Being a Canny Scot...I'm always looking to get more bang for my buck and make my stamp purchases earn their keep so time to put our "thinking out of the box" hats on and make quick and easy contemporary cards without breaking the bank...let's face it we need all the help we can get in the run up to the busiest time of the year for us card makers...

Thank you to all the lovely crafty girls who came along to join in the fun...they were superstars each and every one...it was lovely to see some new faces and familiar ones too...we even finished ahead of time which is unheard of for me so some settled down for a gorgeous "who cares how many calories" afternoon tea...thanks to Paula and The Papeterie...whilst the others went shopping...

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Morning folks...another fun day at The Papeterie...thank you to all the lovely folks who kept me company while I demo-ed played with Paula Pascal's gorgeous Christmas Stamp Sets and Adirondack inks...

I really have the best job in the world...they really know how to spoil a girl...a mid morning cuppa and a yummy cupcake...

love these Adirondack Inks...Red Pepper and Lettuce....gorgeous Christmas Red and Green and the gorgeous seam binding from The Ribbon Girl was an exact match...

I'll be back tomorrow to share the cards from the afternoon workshop....in the meantime I'm loading up the car for a day at the car boot...oh joy...would much rather be having a chill out day but I'm on a mission to once and for all declutter the garage...need to make room for my new two wheeled mode of transport.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Morning folks...once again I opened my big mouth and put my foot right in it...why do I never learn that making wild predictions always comes back to bite me on the bum...you'll have guessed that yesterday's plan to nail those demo cards went slightly pear shaped...I know I'm a bit of a last minute Annie but this was taking the proverbial biscuit...back up against the wall...right to the wire and no mistake...the tidy and organised hat disappeared and the cubbyhole turned into a "tornado has just blown through" manic crafting frenzy zone...

not too bad I hear you say but as we pan out the devastation becomes apparent...

an overflowing bin of failed attempts...

before there's something that I'm reasonably happy with...

who says this crafting malarkey is easy and of course my cubbyhole helper is still on rest and recuperation leave so there was nothing else for it but to roll up my sleeves and get stuck into the job of rounding up all these little blighters and making sure they were safely tucked away...

but I lived to tell the tale...today's another day...I'm off to pack up the car with the fruits of yesterday's labours and then step into a much needed hot de-inking shower before I head off to The Papeterie for a day of fun games and lots of laughter. And a quick update on the furry patient...he's doing great...hasn't quite grasped the concept that he's still on a light diet but the chief portion controller is sticking to her guns...little and often is the order of the day for the moment...this old crafty Mum doesn't want to repeat the traumas of last weekend.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Edited to add....STOP PRESS....SOS....NEED YOUR HELP...if you are coming to my workshop tomorrow afternoon and have a 1" Circle Punch....can you please bring it along....I only have ONE and between 12 of you...well let's just say we could be there all day...bad planning me thinks and would you believe I'm just starting to kit up...see you all tomorrow

Morning folks...I don't want to tempt fate but I'm on a roll and back in the crafty swing apart from the above's little hiccup...the workshop cards for tomorrow's Christmas Craft Spectacular at The Papeterie were done in super quick time...us crafters can be a picky lot and I'm more picky than most...not always happy with the cards that I make but I absolutely 100 per cent loved working with these gorgeous Paula Pascual stamps...

Once I opened the packs and looked out some of my favourite Distress Ink pads...we were up and running with lots of "more bang for your buck" ideas...can't wait to share but you'll have to wait until Monday...well OK because you are all so lovely and I'm back to being one happy crafty bunny...just a few sneaky peeks...

Time to nail the demo cards...will it be another day of "easy peasy lemony squeezy" or have I just put a jinx on it

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Morning folks...I've had a bit of a dilemma...what on earth am I going to put on today's blog post was the thought running through my mind last night...after managing an entry in this crafting diary every day for the last 4 and a bit years....yes this is post number 2018 would you believe...no way was I going to let you all have a day off from the goings on in the cubbyhole...so forgive me if I indulge in a bit of waffling and some might say...the thing I do best.
If you pop across on a regular basis you will know that The Furry Boy has been seriously under the weather and had his old Crafty Mum by herself with worry until I knew he'd turned the corner and was going to be OK....you'll realise how serious it was when I tell you that I didn't venture into the cubbyhole for 4 days...the cubbyhole without The Furry Boy just wasn't the same...I know from time to time I rant and rave about how naughty he is but I can't tell you how much I missed his cheeky face...his big brown "please share your cake" pleading eyes and even his "way above acceptable levels" snoring but it's amazing how quickly dogs recover...going from "oooh I'm feeling so poorly...I can't face eating anything" to "bring on the grub" in the space of a few hours...he's already making eyes at my breakfast toast and that speaks volumes...give it another couple of days and the gorgeous bundle of golden deliciousness that we all know and love will be back firing on all cylinders and driving me bonkers again.
But after the dramas of the weekend I had a severe dose of cabin fever and what better way to unfrazzle than a trip across to The Papeterie yesterday for coffee and a chinwag with my lovely buddies Debbi and Charlotte and chew the fat about some up and coming crafty workshops...killing 2 birds with one stone and picking up the cardstock for the Fiskars Workshop at The NEC which Charlotte had very kindly guillotined into square card size...one less job for me to do...all I need now is to get them scored and folded...any volunteers...

Time to get a major wiggle on and create some workshop cards for Saturday with these gorgeous Christmas stamps from my lovely buddy Paula Pascual...I'm a bit out of practice so a bit of divine inspiration may be required...on the other hand the more I look at them...the more ideas are popping into my crafty head...

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Hello to all my lovely bloggy buddies...yes it's your bundle of golden deliciousness...not looking quite as gorgeous as usual but I've been through the wringer for the last few days...laid up in intensive care with the worst tummy upset ever and I want to squash any spurious rumours that may be doing the rounds...it's official...straight from the vet's mouth...it wasn't down to my scavenger habits but a super bug that I picked up somewhere. I had the nicest care team...the vet and my very own nurse were so kind to me giving me lots of snuggles when I was feeling lonely but they don't half love giving you a good old poke and prod...not to mention the indignity of having your temperature taken every few hours...I did suggest she could stick it under my leg but she was having none of it and I was definitely miffed when she shaved my gorgeous golden locks in several places...leaving me looking a bit patchy and to add insult to injury stabbed me with long pointy things...

But I'm feeling much better now...you just can't keep a good dog down and it's so good to be back home...I've handed in my sick note and will be taking some time off from my cubbyhole crew duties to rest and recuperate but I have a sneaky feeling I can kiss goodbye to anything in the way of pay for quite some time to come...the coffers are well and truly empty...the cupboard is bare...the old 5 star medical care wiped out the crafty stash purse and made a huge crater in the cubbyhole budget...oops might be an idea to keep a low profile for a while...head down and keep out of hot water.
I would like to send THE BIGGEST SNUGGLIEST HUG ever to each and every one of my lovely bloggy buddies and Facebook friends who kept Mum's spirits up and sent lovely messages and get well hugs. And a special big hug to my lovely bloggy bud Polly from Wales who's having her own tough time caring for her hubby after he fractured his pelvis and was kind enough of think of me and send this beautiful card.

No doubt I'll be hanging around the cubbyhole getting under my old Crafty Mum's feet and will see you all very soon.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Morning folks...The Furry Boy's home but just on a 24 hour pass...the vet wanted to keep him for another night but I suggested that we take him home for 24 hours to see if we could tempt him to eat. It's early days...slow and steady but it was a momentous moment when we managed to coax him to have 4 very small pieces of chicken last night and hopefully if I can tempt him to have a small portion of rice and chicken for breakfast...there's a very good chance he'll pass muster at our appointment this morning and may well be home for good with lots of meds to get him back to his old hooligan self.
All this drama has played havoc with the cubbyhole routine and I'm way behind with work stuff...haven't started on the demo and workshop stuff for the Christmas Craftaganza at The Papeterie on Saturday...if you live in my neck of the woods why don't you pop in and keep me company in the morning...the rate I'm going there may not be a demo to watch but we can always grab a cuppa and have a blether...I think the afternoon workshop is fully booked but you could always check with Charlotte on 01224 802337...she's a dab hand at managing to sneak a few extra seats in.
I'm also working on a guest designer spot for September...with one of the UK's top stamp companies...well known to all you crafty bloggers...very excited to be invited but more than a little bit nervous...no pressure then...in the meantime I'm sharing some more DT makes...